Republican Failures of Indian Country
For more than a year, the President has allowed the Bureau of Indian Affairs to go without leadership since Assistant Secretary Dave Anderson resigned in February 2005. Over half the time that Bush has been in office, Native Americans have not had the highest Indian position in the federal government filled. Out of the last five and half years, this Administration has left the position of Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs vacant for a total of three years. Neither do we have a voice in the White House since President Bush has not seen fit to continue the tribal government liaison position within the Intergovernmental Affairs Office established by President Clinton. This neglect has fostered challenges to the sovereign rights of tribal governments, which undercuts a tribe’s ability to provide for the well-being of its people. The attack on tribal sovereignty must stop.
The Bush Republicans across the country have failed to keep our nation's solemn commitment to American Indians.
The Bush budget cuts for Justice Department programs have undermined law enforcement and border security and contributed to crippling drug problems on reservations.
Because the Republican Congress and President Bush have failed to fully fund key provisions of No Child Left Behind, just half of Indian students complete high school and just 13 percent hold a bachelors or graduate degree - less than half the national average.
Perhaps the most tragic impact of the Republican Congress' and President Bush's failure to support American Indians has been in the area of health care.
The Bush Republicans have failed to reauthorize the Indian Health Care Improvement Act despite the fact that American Indians are 650 percent more likely to die from tuberculosis, 420 percent more likely to die from diabetes, 280 percent more likely to die in an accident, and 52 percent more likely to die from pneumonia or influenza than the rest of the U.S. population. That is why we are asking you to sign a petition calling on Congress to finally pass the reauthorization of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
